Reaction to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address

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Reaction to Obama’s State of the Union address

Some reaction to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address on Wednesday:

“The president’s partial freeze on discretionary spending is a laudable step, but a small one. The circumstances of our time demand that we reconsider and restore the proper, limited role of government at every level.” — Gov. Bob McDonnell, R-Va., delivering the Republican address.

“President Obama struck the hopeful themes tonight that resonated in his campaign. … (Middle class families) are demanding our help, and this administration and Democratic Congress are answering their call. Our unified goals are jobs, more jobs, and even more jobs.— Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C.

“It appears he’s completely stone deaf. After yet again blaming all our problems on George W. Bush, the president doubled down on his commitment to a Washington-knows-best strategy that will only make matters worse.” — Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah.

“President Obama’s call to repeal ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ marks the beginning of a new era of equality and justice in America. The military’s ‘don’t ask, don’t tell policy’ is an unfair, outdated measure.” — Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.

“President Obama asked Congress to repeal the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy. … At a time when our Armed Forces are fighting and sacrificing on the battlefield, now is not the time to abandon the policy.” — Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

“President Obama rightly focused the bulk of his speech on getting Americans back to work and cutting the deficit. These must be our top priorities in 2010.” — Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis.

“The president talked about jobs tonight. This is a welcome change in focus after the president and his administration spent nearly an entire year pursuing a partisan health care plan that would have spent trillions of dollars we don’t have rather than on a plan for getting Americans back to work.” — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

“The president’s announcement that he will create by executive order a bipartisan fiscal commission to tackle the nation’s long-term budget crisis sends a clear signal that the Obama administration is committed to addressing this problem.” — Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D.

“The American people were looking for President Obama to change course tonight, and they got more of the same job-killing policies instead.” — House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio.

“Tonight, President Obama presented a vision to the American people of a stronger union, a new foundation for prosperity and a thriving middle class. Working together, we will adopt a bold agenda for our economic growth.” — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

“I am pleased to hear the president say he is going to do whatever is necessary to help create jobs and reinvigorate the economy. It’s pretty obvious the stimulus package did not help reduce unemployment, so we need to go in another direction.” — Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga.

“President Obama gave the Senate the clear direction to pass clean energy and climate legislation that puts the needs of the American people first — our national security, our jobs and our health. … Now it is time for the Senate to act.” — Maggie L. Fox, president of the Alliance for Climate Protection.

“He unveils several proposals estimated to cost the American taxpayer billions. This makes it very hard to take President Obama’s newfound commitment to fiscal responsibility seriously.” — Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas.

“As President Obama made clear tonight, we cannot walk away from health care reform, we cannot walk away from the millions of families desperate for that security.” — Service Employees International Union President Andy Stern.

“He’s made a bunch of promises over this last year, including one tonight that I liked about more tax relief. But we’ve all heard these promises before, and he simply hasn’t delivered.” — Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.

“The president’s address has lent us all hope — hope that the administration is finally heeding our concerns. It’s about time.” — Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo.

“We hope the president’s call for bipartisanship and communication is a two-way street not only between Democrats and Republicans on the Hill — but also between the administration and the Congress.” — Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, R-Calif.

“We must have health care reform and it must be bold. … I think President Obama put us back on the right track this evening, but now I call on the president to make this a sustained effort. Another great speech is not enough.” — Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich.

“After all the anxiety and hardship people are facing because of double-digit unemployment and a continued sluggish economy, at this point, it’s not what the president says, it’s what he does.” — Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.